9/19/2011 - Susquehanna River rises to record levels

Thousands of Pennsylvania homeowners are experiencing flood levels that the state hasn't experienced in nearly 40 years.

In the course of a few days in the first part of September, some parts of the state saw a more than a foot of rain, causing the Susquehanna River to rise to levels not seen since June of 1972.

"At peak, the flow of the Susquehanna River at Marietta, Pennsylvania, will be almost two times that of the average flow of the lower Mississippi River at Vicksburg, Mississippi," said Jim Andrews, senior meteorologist for Accuweather.

Tens of thousands of people abandoned their homes. In Luzerne County alone, 70,000 people were evacuated.

Meanwhile, on September 8, the Banking and Urban Affairs Committee in the U.S. Senate passed its version of a bill that will renew the National Flood Insurance Program, which is set to expire at the end of the month if Congressional leaders don't vote to extend it. Should the bill pass, the NFIP would be continued for the next five years.